


calm and bright

by Oparu (USSJellyfish)



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/F, Ice Skating, fluff of the winter sort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:15:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28295166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/USSJellyfish/pseuds/Oparu
Summary: Bobbi meets Melinda to go skating and it's cold, really cold, and wonderful.
Relationships: Melinda May/Bobbi Morse
Comments: 5
Kudos: 15
Collections: Agents of SHIELD Secret Santa 2020





	calm and bright

**Author's Note:**

  * For [26stars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/26stars/gifts).



> happy holidays!! First time writing Bobbi/Melinda and I had a blast, (the height difference!).

It's been cold for weeks. The cold came down from Canada and stayed, freezing the sidewalks and icing the trees. Bobbi's used to it enough, she wears her hat and coat, real lined gloves (though for the last few days she's tempted with mittens) and she wears this wool scarf she got in Russia.

Funny thing to hang onto. The scarf she got after they were disavowed. They stayed together for a while, but it never works long term, her and Hunter. She walks through the campus, smiling at the strings of lights on the trees and the warmth of the lights in the campus buildings. Her feet crunch in the snow, crossing the icy patches where the snowblowers haven't gotten the sidewalk completely clear. 

This late at night no one's out, and her only companion is the blowing wind and the snow dancing across the empty sidewalk. She stops in front of the office building, looking up at the glass. A few light's are still on, but they're not the one she wants. She walks on, crossing campus, heading down the athletic field. It's windy, but clear and even this close to the city, there are a few stars. It's too civilized for it to be beautiful, but there are other things to find beautiful here. 

She shifts her skates on her shoulder, wiggling her toes in her boots to keep them warm. It's an odd place for a meeting, but it suits them. Bobbi sits on the frigid bench and removes her boots, lacing her feet into her skates with clumsy, cold fingers. 

A small figure in a dark jacket skates on the far side of the rink, gliding through a spin. Her dark hair fans out under her hat as she spins, glies out of it and then spins again. Bobbi's read her file and she knows Melinda can skate, but she's never seen it before. She's so graceful, like a little dark bird, sailing over the ice. Standing up slowly, Bobbi stows her boots under the bench and pulls back on her gloves. 

She skates okay, it's all about balance and precision, knowing where her body is in space. She's good at that. Melinda makes it beautiful, smooth and sleek, and even the sound of her skates is a whisper over the rink. 

Bobbi skates out to the middle, turns, tests herself, then follows Melinda, watching her throw herself into a spin. Melinda spins faster and faster, pulling her arms in, then bending back and Bobbi can't help laughing. 

"What?" Melinda stops, skating over, smiling with the stars shining in her eyes. "What's so funny?"

"You're an ice queen."

That makes Melinda snort. 

"In a good way," Bobbi promises, extending her hand. "You own this."

"I did make the Academy flood the field."

"See?"

Melinda rolls her eyes and pulls Bobbin into a lazy arc, taking them both through a figure eight on the ice. Melinda pulls her in and they twirl together. 

"It's so peaceful."

"I love it. I hated it for awhile as a kid."

"Oh?"

"Too much falling."

"Bet it hurts more now," Bobbi jokes

Melinda rolls her eyes again. "I could help you find out." She releases Bobbi's hand and turns, facing her down as if they're about to engage in some kind of ice battle (that Bobbi will absolutely lose). 

Instead, Melinda skates back, grinning, standing on the very tip-toes of her skates, tugging Bobbi down and they kiss, soft and slow and Melinda's mouth is both warm and cold. They drift across the ice, wrapped in each other. 

When the kiss breaks, Bobbi gasps for breath and Melinda skates away, laughing. They chase, Bobbi has longer legs, but Melinda turns so quickly that it's going to end badly with both of them in the snowbank.

Well, Bobbi in the snowbank, Melinda standing over her laughing and helping her up. Bobbi brushes snow from her pants, trying to get it all off before it starts to melt and really it's so cold that it's the dusty kind of snow that just comes off. 

It's still all over her and Melinda doesn't have any snow on her. Bobbi can fix that. She lifts Melinda up, scooping her up fast enough to toss her into the bank along side the rink and then it's chaos. Melinda twists, shifting her weight and they're both in the snow now, wrestling and laughing, trying to keep their dangerous skates on the ice away from each other.

"It's so cold," Bobbi says, laughing as she shakes snow out of her coat. 

"It's winter."

"I don't usually get so intimately acquainted with winter."

Melinda gets to her knees, then stands, brushing snow off even though she's covered, as if she's been dusted with sugar. "Maybe I need to find a way to warm you up."

Bobbi stands with less grace and walks on her skates, wobbling a little, to her boots. "I'd appreciate that."

They take off their skates sitting together, arms touching, hands nearby and Melinda squeezes her hand before they put their gloves back on. 

Well, Melinda has mittens and Bobbi's jealous. 

"Should have worn mittens."

"Yeah," Melinda teases her, throwing her skates over her shoulder. "They're better."

"I know that now."

"Then don't forget it."

Bobbi shakes her head. "If my fingers weren't too cold to make a snowball I'd--"

"Wrong snow," Melinda says. She picks up a handful and demonstrates how it just crumbles instead of sticking. "Gets down your coat just fine."

"Yeah, felt that."

"Won't make a ball though, terrible for forts."

"You built snow forts?"

"Sure, didn't you?"

"Never had enough snow," Bobbi says, slipping her arm through Melinda's. "Not all of us lied in frozen Pennsylvania."

"I liked the Alps best, actually."

"Oh?" That Bobbi can work with, file away and hang onto until they need a trip somewhere.

"Not the skiing so much, just the way the buildings were, going inside for wine and hot chocolate."

"Can help you with two of those things."

Melinda tilts her head. "My apartment's just this way. I promise I have wine."

"Won't alcohol just make me colder?"

Melinda reaches up and pulls Bobbi's head down closer. "Uh-oh, then I'll have to warm you up."

"I have complete faith in you, professor." 


End file.
